SNOW s/t RARE orig LP 1968 Epic trippy psych LP LISTEN

$

72

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

SNOW "Snow"

Original 1968 LP on the EPIC label, STEREO BN 26435

Cover:  VG+, moderate ringwear, small cutout hole, light discoloration around edges

Vinyl:  A few light marks, plays EXCELLENT

As always, the sound clip you hear below is the ACTUAL RECORD you're bidding on! 

VERY hard to find original vinyl pressing of the self-titled 1968 Epic album by the band SNOW.  AMAZING trippy headphone psych similar to Head Shop or Gandalf, but even better and even FURTHER out there!  With one of the wildest psychedelic tracks you'll ever hear, the awesome "Caterpillar", which is totally over-the-top mind-melting psychedelia, complete with tons of vocal effects, sped-up and slowed-down, off-kilter melodies, odd key changes and a melody like a mad calliope ride!  Other highlights include "Old Uncle Timothy's Flying Balloon", which, as you might guess from the title, has a distinctively British toytown popsike feel a la 1967-8 Blossom Toes or Tomorrow, with a playful carousel rhythm, subtle soaring strings and great backing vocals with panning from left to right back when producers were doing that sort of stuff.  "You Let Me Know" is a wonderful exercise in harmonies, all vocal arrangements and backing harmony vocal parts - it's like a psychedelic Gentle Giant.  "Sirens" is pure mindblowing heavy power psych, with a dirty funky biker movie guitar riff, double-tracked acid guitar, rolling and pounding drums and trippy vocals - sort of a cross between Fever Tree and Steppenwolf.  It made the "Psychosis From the 13th Dimension" comp a few years ago - a fitting description of the entire album!  A GREAT LP all the way, but that "Caterpillar" track in particular is a class by itself!  Fuzz Acid and Flowers called it "an incredibly strange slab of psych-pop which is somewhere between the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus" and Sweetwater's "My Crystal Spider".  Truly a relic of the era."  They went on to describe this album as such..."The first three tracks are pretty bland multi-voiced folk rock, although the short guitar incisions are promising.  What follows on side 1 is strangely melodic acid-rock with oblique harmonies on the brilliant "Englebert", and a kind of twisted Peanut Butter Conspiracy influence, with a sharp tempo change and toytown psych on "You Let Me Know."  Side 2 is even better, starting with the piercing guitar on "Song of the Sirens", another track reminiscent of PBC.  A coiled waltz similar to Aorta, "The Flying Miraldos", follows suit, whilst "Sweet Dreams" and "Bab's Song" are pompous but cultivated baroque harmony pop with lush arrangements.  The venom is in the tail where the tour de force "Caterpillar" pulls out all the stops and ushers the listener through more effects and key changes in three minutes and sounds as boldly experimental today as anything from this period."  VERY RARE as an original pressing - these things are right up there with Common People and Kak as far as elusiveness goes.   

 HEAR IT!

The less exciting stuff

Media mail shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $4.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  ALL DOMESTIC ORDERS REQUIRE DELIVERY CONFIRMATION, WHICH IS AN EXTRA 75 CENTS.  Air mail shipping to Canada starts at $10 US, each additional record $2 shipping.  Air mail shipping everywhere else in the world starts at $16 US, with each additional record only $3 shipping.  ALL FOREIGN ORDERS REQUIRE CERTIFICATE OF SHIPMENT, WHICH IS AN EXTRA $1.10.  I accept payments through Paypal. 

I try to grade as best as I can, and I list as many blemishes/imperfections I can find (writing, ringwear, scuff marks, etc.) – Also, please note that I DO listen to these albums – I may not listen to every track, but my grades are based on LISTENING, not just looking at it, since chances are you’ll be listening to the record you buy, not just looking at it.  Most of the albums I sell are the ones I’ve enjoyed for years – and I treat my records with kid gloves.  But sounds speak louder than words, so check out the sound clips below – they’re from the actual record you’re bidding on. 

SHIPPING AND PACKAGING

Listen, I buy a bunch of records too (when I’m not getting outbid at the last second, which is more often than not) – and I know what it’s like to get a rare, one-of-a-kind album packaged dangerously in a flimsy bubblewrap package.  I hate that too.  So rest assured, I ALWAYS package albums with stiff cardboard reinforcements, same for 45s.  And yes, the records are removed from the sleeves (for albums).  I ship out once a week, every Friday, because I have a regular day job.  But I’d be willing to give that up if you’d all be so kind as to bid my items up to stupidly high amounts. 

And finally, I include delivery confirmation on all shipments inside the US.  This is my proof of shipment, and also helps us to track your package if it doesn’t arrive when it should.  I will email you within 2 days of shipment and give you the confirmation number at that time.  Insurance is always optional, but for larger orders, it’s highly recommended.   I DO NOW REQUIRE THAT ALL FOREIGN BUYERS PAY AN ADDITIONAL $1.10 FOR PROOF OF SHIPMENT.  IT'S A NOMINAL FEE AND THE CHEAPEST WAY FOR ME TO PROVE THAT I ACTUALLY SHIPPED YOUR PACKAGE AND DIDN'T JUST POCKET YOUR MONEY AND SKIP TOWN.  For more security and international tracking, you may request GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL - but bear in mind the cost of this service is upwards of $30.  For expensive items, however, it may be well worth it.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a cost-effective way of tracking parcels to foreign countries yet, and shipping times vary depending on your country’s postal system.   Italy in particular seems to be really bad at delivering packages quickly, or delivering packages at all, now that you mention it.  I will always email you when your package ships, but once it’s on its way, please don’t ask me when it will arrive because I don’t know.  If the world’s postal systems can ever agree on a universal tracking system that’s affordable, I’ll be the first to use it.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN…

I will always leave positive feedback for successful transactions, and would appreciate the same in return.  All I ask of you is the following – please pay for your items within 14 days of the close of auction.  Compared to other sellers, that’s a generous amount of time, so if you don’t pay within 2 weeks, then I have to assume something’s wrong.  You’ll get an Ebay payment reminder at that point, and possibly a decapitated horse head in your bed.  If, after 30 days, you still haven’t forked up the cash, I’ll relist the item and yell at you if I ever see you in town.